Lubricated plug valve



. Sept. 1.7, 1935. F. N. BARD LUBRICATED PLUG VALVE Original Filed Dec. 5.1, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept 17, 1935. NJBARD 2,014,463

LUBRICATED PLUG VALVE Original Fi led Dec. 31, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g iii-25:55

we N Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LUBRICATED PLUG VALVE Francis Norwood Bard, Highland Park, 111., as-

signor to Walworth Patents, Inc'., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Original application December 31, .1927, Serial No. 243,994. Divided and this application July 15, v1932, Serial No. 622,711

3 Claims. ((01. 2 51-41) ging of the valve due to solidifying or congealing of a fluid flowing therethrough or contained therein.

This invention further contemplates the provisions of a plug valve wherein the plug member is formed of material different than that of the casing and seat, in the present instance, preferably non-metallic and particularly of the condensation product known as bakelite, whereby the plug will not be readily affected by heat.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a plug valve wherein both the plug member and the seat are constructed of non-metallic material, while, however, the valve stem or a core and the casing and the lubricating structure, if employed, of the plug may be formed of metal.

While, for convenience in describing the invention, it is shown embodied in two structures for association with plug valves, particularly lubricated plug valves, it will be understood that the invention is equally well adapted to valves of other types and to other analogous purposes and therefore finds a wide field of utility.

The principal objects and advantages of this invention are to provide an improved means for maintaining free flow of a liquid through a valve, particularly one of the rotating plug type, such, for instance, in installations wherein tar or other heavy fluids 'or liquids are conducted; the pro vision of an improved means for maintaining a desired viscosity of a fluid while passing through a valve; the provision of an improved heating means for a valve, or the like, readily applicable to the valve structure without material alteration therein; the provision of an improved means of the character described which is detachably mounted on the valve, or the like, to facilitate repair and replacement and, in certain respects, the provision of a device of this character which may be substituted for existing parts of the valve structure so as to be applicable to valves not originally equipped with such a heating element.

As a further object of this invention, I provide I a plug valve having, in the one instance, a metallic valve seat and a non-metallic plug member,

and, in the other instance, having both a non metallic plug member and seat, that is, the contacting suriac es are non-metallic while the core of the plug member and the casing of the valve may be formed of metal or of some other material suitable for the purpose, the object being to proing communication/with external grooves M vide a material in the plug valve and easing which is not readily affected by heat or by acids or caustic solutions.

This application is a division of my application S. N. 243,994, filed December 31, 1927, now 5 Patent 1,888,207, granted November 22, 1932.

The foregoing and such other objects and advantages as may appear or be pointed out as this description proceeds are attained in the structural embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a rotating plug valve embodying the improvements of my invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are, respectively, vertical sectional views of alternative forms of the present invention.

Referring now more particularly and first to Figure 1 which represents what may be for some purposes a preferred form 'of the invention, I have illustrated a plug valve casing or housing 5 provided with the conventional threaded inlet opening 6 and outlet opening 1 which are placed in communication with each other by rotation of a plug valve member 8, the latter being'generally tapered in configuration and having a transverse bore 9 which establishes communication between the openings 6 and '1 when brought into alignment therewith. The tapered plug valve Bis inserted into the casing, and, in the present instance, the bottom thereof engages a complemental valve seat It provided in the casing. The bottom of the casing, as viewed in Figure 1, is open, as at H, to receive the plug valve member, and the upper end of the casing above the seat 10 is open to accommodate passage therethrough of the valve stem 12 which latter is constructed to provide a lubricant chamber 13 hav- 40 either on the surface of the plug valve member or on the seat 10,. or" both, as desired. Suitable means, not shown, is provided in the chamber 83 in engagement with the threaded portions I5 thereof, for placing the lubricant in the chamber i3 and grooves i4 under pressure for lubricating the valve.

A suitable packing, including the packing material l6 and an expansive washer I1, is provided between a shoulder 98 on the extension I!) of the casing 5 and a complemental shoulder 20 on the valve stem, a packing gland 2| having threaded engagement at 22 with the extension l9 serving to compress said packing and washer.

In the usual form of rotating plug valve, either of the lubricated or non-lubricated type, it is not unusual to maintain the valve on its seat by the provision of a yieldingly resistant element held in place by a removable plug threaded into the opening II. that an axial extension 23 is provided on the lower larger end of the plug valve 8, and a helical spring 24 surrounds said extension 28.

In this form of my invention I substitute for the conventional closing plug a' heat jacket or chamber element 25 which latter is formed with a pocket 28 having communication with a source of heating fluid such as steam by the provision of supply and return pipes 21 and 28 threaded into openings 28 and 30 in the outer wall 3| of said jacket member. The jacket member is in threaded engagement at 32 with ,the opening H by virtue of the usual threads provided on the inside of the extension 33 of the casing 5. The inner wall 34 of the jacket 25 is formed with a depression at its central portion affording a recess 38 for reception of the extension 23 and spring 24.

It will be observed that in the operation of this form oi the invention the heat applied to the jacket 25 by steam or other heating fluid is transmitted to the lower end of the plug valve member, in turn heating the latter and thereby maintaining both the fluid passing through the valve, and any lubricant employed in the grooves l4 and chamber l3, at a temperature such as will permit of operation of the valve at any time desired. I lay particular stress on the fact that the construction of the jacket wherein the steam is walled off from the contents of the valve prevents foaming of the contents of the valve, due to the steam coming in direct contact therewith. This is particularly advantageous where tar and similar highly viscous fluids are conducted.

The form of this invention serves to attain a function which is not heretofore known to others in that it will properly heat a tapered plug valve so that unequal expansion and contraction of the valve parts, that is, the seat and the valve member, does not occur in this form of the invention. In some installations for some purposes the form of the invention shown in Figure 1 may be employed and overcomes the difficulty heretofore, which has been that when applying heat to the valve member, an unequal expansion of the valve member and its seat sometimes takes-place, which causes the valve member to jam and renders it practically impossible of rotation, or to cause unequal expansion of the casing and seat, which causes the valve to leak. In my invention the heating jacket 25 is applied to present the heating medium at one end of the valve so that the greatest area of exposed end surface of the valve member receives the greatest heat. The advantage of this is'that, in 90% of plug valves in practical use, whether lubricated or not, the smaller end of the plug appears to receive the greatest wear, for reasons which are not accurately known, which would appear to indicate that, if heat were applied to the smaller end of the plug member,

it would so expand this end with respect to the valvez'seat, and the rest of the valve member as it from rotating .in its seat. This is probably rlueto the fact that the heat is not dissipated .--e iua1 1'y enough from the smaller end, and, in

event, becomes less in quantity per area of It will be observed in Figure 1 .tion of acid and caustic solutions. It will be also surface to which it is applied, which results in the smaller end of the plug member being more greatly expanded than the rest of the plug, which, as pointed out, is undesirable.

In my invention the heat is applied to that end of the plug which has the greatest available end surface for this purpose, and this is true whether the stem comes out of the larger or smaller end of the plug, as' the case may be.

-The application of the heat to the plug in this 10 manner permits of a distribution of the heat into the plug member and its seat substantially uniformly in spite of the tapering configuration of the plug, so that, as the heat dissipates as it passes through the plug, the amount of sur- 15 face to which the reduced heat must be applied is proportionately reduced.

Referring now to Figure 2, an alternative form of this invention, it will be observed that I provide the usual casing having passageways 8| 20 and 82 therein, the casing shown in Figure 2 being metallic and formed with a valve seat 83 on which a plug valve member 84 is adapted to engage. e

The plug valve member in Figure 2 is mm 25 metallic and preferably formed of a phenol condensation product known as bakelite, the valve having a transverse passageway 85 and provided with tapering surface 88' which engages the seat 83. 30

In. view of the difficulty in forming the valve 84 with threads, etc. required at the upper end,

I provide a metallic stem 81 which is provided with a roughened or serrated lower extremity 88 around which the plug valve member is moulded, the stem and plug valve made thus being flrmly secured together.

For lubricating purposes, as hereinbefore explained in connection with Figure 1, I provide a lubricant chamber 88 and communicating passageway 80 and groove 8| for supplying lubricant from the chamber 88 to the seating surface of the valve and itsseat under pressure created by screw 82.

Referring now to the further alternative form 45 of the invention shown in Figure 3, I provide a casing similarly to that shown in Figure 2, with the exception that the valve seat is non-metallic as well as the plug valve member. In this instance, the valve seat is a separate non-metallic 50 portion formed preferably of bakelite indicated at 88 and having a seating surface 84 against which the plug valve member 85 is adapted to engage. The casing is provided with suitable recesses as at 86, 86, and the valve seat is cast in 55 said recesses and later ground as desired.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 3, the plug valve member 85 is cast around a yokelike core 81, formed preferably of metal and having a lubricant chamber 88a communicating by passages 88 and grooves 81a to the seating surface of the valve and its seat.

In both of the forms of the invention shown in Figures 2 and 3, itwill be obvious that any other non-metallic material suitable for the purpose may be employed for the valve and its seat, but I prefer bakelite owing to its resistance to distortion in the presence of heat and due to its resistance to premature'deterioration by the acunderstood that any other convenient manner of 70 forming the plug member and the seat on their respective parts, thatis the stem and the casing may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of this invention. 75

moving the cap IOI. It will be obvious that the cap IN and the cap I02 in Figure 2 may be constructed with steam chambers similarly to the cap shown in Figure 1.

As an alternative form of compressor and for purpose of providing the means for containing a larger amount of lubricant, where desired, I provide the grease cup member shown at the top of Figure 3, This device includes a nipple I04 having threaded portions I05 and I06. The bore I! of the .nipple I04 communicates with the lubricant chamber 89a. and is in threaded engagement with the valve stem, as shown.

The outer end of the nipple I04 is threaded into the lower end of the tubular lower portion I08 of the grease cup. Complemental recesses I09 and I I0 are formed in the adjacent 'ends ofthe nipple I04 and tubular member I08 in order to afford a chamber for receiving a ball check valve Ill maintained upwardly on its seat by a helical spring II2. The check valve prevents reflex of lubricant from the lubricant chamber 89a, as will be obvious.

The tubular member I08 is externally threaded, as at H3, to receive a cap member H4. The cap member H4 is adapted to contain grease which is, as said cap is screwed downwardly, caused to be forced through the bore I I past the check valve III and into the lubricant chamber 8901,, continued motion of the cap I I4 compressing the grease both in the grease cup and in the lubricant chambers, and passageways of the valve. I

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a lubricated plug valve having a casing provided with a tapered valve seat and tapered valve member engaging said seat, of means for applying heat to the large end of said valve member, said means comprising a separable cup-shaped member engaging the casing adjacent the large end of the valve member and having a hollow core and means in the outer wall of said member to admit heating fluid to the core for heating the valve member by conduction through the inner wall of said member.

2. The combination with a lubricated plug valve having a casing provided with a tapered valve seat and a tapered valve member engaging said seat, said casing having a projecting portion thereon extending beyond the large end of the valve member, of means for applying heat to the large end of said valve member, said means comprising a separable cup-shaped member engaging said projecting portion and enclosing the adjacent end of the casing, said member having a hollow core forming inner and outer walls thereon, a boss on said outer wall having inlet and outlet apertures therein communicating with said core, and means connected with said apertures to circulate heating fluid in said core for heating the valve. member by conduction through said inner wall.

3. The combination with a lubricated plug valve having a casing provided with a tapered valve seat and a tapered valve member engaging said seat, said casing having a projecting portion thereon extending beyond the large end of the valve member, of means for applying heat to the large end-of said valve member, said means comprising a separable cup-shaped member threadedly engaging said projecting portion and enclosing the adjacent end of the casing, said memher having a hollow core eccentric with respect FRANCIS NORWOOD BARB.

to the exterior surfaces thereof and forming an 

